CURRENTS: BRIDGE

CURRENTS: BRIDGE; A Ponte Vecchio for a Wisconsin Town

By FRED A. BERNSTEIN

Published: April 24, 2003

A two-lane bridge over the Fox River in De Pere, Wis., just south of Green Bay, may have a pedestrian mall (sketch, top right) in its future. The Claude Allouez bridge (top left) is scheduled to be replaced by a wider span, but instead of tearing the old structure down, a local architect, Chad Cornette, proposes turning it into a ''living bridge'' (design above) modeled on European shopping bridges like the Ponte Vecchio in Florence, Italy. The living bridge would be lined with stores, cafes and a museum dedicated to the Fox River. Mr. Cornette, 31, said he based the idea on a bridgelike shelter he designed while a student at the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. ''A Wal-Mart is being built about three miles away, and we're looking at how we're going to save our downtown,'' he said. ''This could be a draw.'' The De Pere City Council is expected to vote on the project this year. FRED A. BERNSTEIN